Interlake High School student and cello player Audrey Chen is one of 120 young musicians nationwide who were selected to perform with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, the Bellevue School District reported.
Fellow Interlake student Dong Hee Lee was named as an alternate to the NYO-USA.
The NYO-USA was created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute and this year is its inaugural year.
The Bellevue School District provided the following information on Audrey Chen and Don Hee Lee:
An Interlake High School student will spend her summer playing the greatest concert halls in the world as a member of the first-ever National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). Carnegie Hall has announced that Cellist Audrey Chen is one of only 120 young musicians in the country, and one of just six in Washington state, chosen for the honor of performing in the orchestra’s inaugural season. Interlake student Dong Hee Lee was named as an alternate to the NYO-USA.
Chen and fellow members of the NYO-USA will travel to New York this June, where they will spend two weeks rehearsing and working with professional musicians. They will then embark on a worldwide concert tour, which takes them to Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center, as well as Moscow, St. Petersburg and London.
“It’s really a one of a kind experience,” says Chen, a junior. “I’m really excited to be in such a high level orchestra with such amazing conductors and amazing soloists.” Students in the 2013 NYO-USA will be led by world-renowned conductor Valery Gergiev and perform with acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell.
The NYO-USA was created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. Students ages 16-19 from all 50 states were invited to apply to the NYO-USA program. Students were required to submit a performance video, along with a written application. Those chosen to participate in the orchestra are recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest student musicians in the country.
Chen and Lee are members of the Interlake High School Chamber Orchestra, which is directed by Dr. Shira Katsman. “Audrey and Dong Hee are both dedicated musicians who are always willing to provide thoughtful guidance and musical suggestions to their fellow classmates,” says Katsman. “I’m sure that they will share the knowledge they gain from this experience with the rest of the orchestra, thereby helping the whole group extend their learning to the next level.”
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